


The Tree

by bearcattt



Category: K-pop, Red Velvet (K-pop Band)
Genre: F/F, Girls Kissing, Leaving Home, Love Confessions, One Shot, Sad and Happy, Teen Romance, Teenagers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-01
Updated: 2020-07-01
Packaged: 2021-03-05 03:40:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,938
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25007857
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bearcattt/pseuds/bearcattt
Relationships: Bae Joohyun | Irene/Son Seungwan | Wendy
Kudos: 25





	The Tree

It was the middle of the night on a cool Saturday morning. While most people were asleep, two girls could be found taking a midnight stroll in the nearby woods. One of the girls, Wendy Son, was walking a bit behind the other girl, Irene Bae with her phone flashlight glaring in front. She wanted to take the time to admire the older girl in front of her.

They’d met around the beginning of the year when Irene had moved into the neighbourhood. Wendy had made it her mission to make her feel welcome like she did with every new arrival in her neighbourhood

Wendy had made countless “friends” with the way she greeted them. She would wait about a day or so for the person to get comfortable, and then she would knock on their door and try and befriend them.

Most of the time, the person would never end up trying to contact her and she wouldn’t try to contact that person again. Yes, they would see each other on the streets and in the hallways at school, perhaps nod and smile to each other and make small talk when they had the chance.

But with Irene, it seemed to be different. Wendy had gathered all her courage and rang the doorbell of the new girl’s house, ready to start something that would never be finished. 

Irene hadn’t answered at first. She was quite shy. She had opened the door just as Wendy had accepted her defeat and was making her way back home. Wendy had turned around and eyed the girl who was standing in her doorway. She’d turned around. “Hi there.”

“Sorry,” Irene had said quietly. “I was in the bathroom.”

It was quite obvious that Irene had lied, but Wendy let it slide. She had been completely mesmerized by the girl. “That’s okay. I’m Wendy.” She’d walked back towards Irene and held out her hand.

“I’m Irene,” Irene had stared at Wendy’s hand for a bit before finally shaking it. 

That was the start of what would be Wendy’s most cherished friendship. Maybe more. But she knew that would never happen.

The day after they’d met, there was something telling Wendy to go visit Irene. The same went for the girl across the street. Even though she didn’t feel like going out that day, when Wendy had rung her doorbell she’d rushed to the front of the house with her shoes on. “Hi.”

“Hi,” Wendy had said. “Uh, do you wanna-”

“Yes,” Irene had said. 

“You don’t even know what I was going to say,” Wendy had said.

“If it’s if I would like to go outside with you, then yes,” Irene had said.

“Great,” Wendy had smiled. “There’s a park nearby. We can head there if you want.”

“Sounds good,” Irene had said, stepping out of her house and closing the door behind her.

Surprisingly, they continued to do this each day. Wendy had learned that the girl named Irene was eighteen years old and that her birthday was March 29. Irene learned that Wendy was fifteen years old and that she was born on February 21. 

Both girls went to different schools, so it was difficult for them to see each other during the day. On rare occasions, Irene would jog to Wendy’s school during her lunch break and eat take-out with her underneath a tree in the nearby woods. 

Oh, how Wendy loved the tree. Everything good happened there. It was where she’d wait for Irene to run there right after school so they could have study sessions. It was where they shared many laughs and stories about each other. It was where Wendy realized that she was in love with Irene.

This was something that Irene could never find out. Wendy knew about Irene’s past boyfriends and she knew that Irene was straight. At least, she thought. 

Irene had never taken a liking to those of the opposite gender. Sure, she liked them as friends, but she could never find anything romantic no matter how many different boys she dated.

That was all Irene had decided to tell Wendy. Although that gave her hope, she didn’t want to think about it. She didn’t want to have her heart torn into pieces when she figured out that Irene just hadn’t met the right guy yet.

The two girls were making their way to that very tree that Saturday morning. Irene had finally turned 19 and graduated from high school. She was leaving for university in the morning around nine and Wendy wouldn’t be able to make it. She had weekend school starting at eight.

Irene was devastated that the younger girl wouldn’t be able to say her final goodbye. She’d said goodbye at the graduation ceremony and then scurried home with her face soaked. It hurt Irene to see Wendy cry the way she did that day. But then Wendy had suggested that they go to their tree at midnight the morning before Irene left. She didn’t think much of going into a woods when it was completely dark, but it was starting to get to her.

Suddenly then, Irene stopped in her tracks, making Wendy jump. She could hear Irene’s uneven, heavy breaths as she looked around the woods. She was terrified of the dark. 

Wendy should’ve remembered that before suggesting that they came here, especially during the nighttime. Irene hadn’t said anything, so she thought it was okay, and she seemed to be doing fine for the majority of the trip but it must finally be hitting her.

Without saying anything, Wendy stepped forwards and slowly grabbed Irene’s hand in an attempt to calm her down. Although it managed to calm down Irene, Wendy’s heart was beating furiously. She made eye contact with Irene and smiled warmly at her. Irene glanced down at their interlocked hands and then to Wendy. She smiled, too, causing Wendy to explode.

The two didn’t say anything as they continued to walk, hand in hand. Wendy would try to make small conversation, but she was too shaken to try to say anything. She wanted to say things like, “I’ll miss you like hell,” and “Visit me on your breaks,” but she couldn’t find the strength to open her mouth.

On the other hand, Irene seemed to be doing fine. She was looking down at the ground and grinning in a way that Wendy hadn’t seen before. Why was she so happy? 

There was suddenly a loud gust of wind, causing Irene to jump and wrap both her arms around Wendy’s torso as she dug her head into her shoulder. Wendy froze, waiting for the wind to slowly die out.

Once the wind was gone, Irene slowly lifted her head and realized what exactly she was doing. She noticed Wendy’s bright pink cheeks and let go of her, taking a few steps back. Wendy turned her head and offered her hand again but Irene began to speedwalk in front of her.

Wendy mentally kicked herself. She’d messed up, hadn’t she? Irene slowed down a bit but was still walking in front of Wendy. Wendy didn’t try to offer her hand again. She kept her distance behind Irene.

Five minutes later (but felt like an hour to both girls) they arrived at the tree where they’d made most of their memories together. Irene stood directly in front of it, staring at it wearily. She was going to miss everything. Especially Wendy. She turned her head. “I’m sorry.”

“What?” Wendy asked.

“I’m sorry I’m leaving,” Irene blurted. “I’m going to miss you so, so much, and I wish I could have chosen a university that was closer-”

“Stop that,” Wendy said. “You shouldn’t apologize for wanting to have a good future. I’m going to miss you, too. So much. So, so, so much.” She managed to smile although she was on the verge of tears.

Irene, on the other hand, finally let it all out. She grabbed Wendy and hugged her, sobbing into her shoulder. “I’m sorry.”

Flushed, Wendy tried her best not to cry as she tightened her grasp around Irene. She needed to be strong. She couldn’t start crying. “It’s okay. It’s okay.”

Irene finally stopped crying and let go of the girl. She could tell that she was trying her hardest not to break down in front of her. It made her want to cry even more that she was trying to stay strong.

Wendy was mesmerized by how close Irene was to her. Irene was looking directly into her eyes, blinking so rarely. She was completely lost. Irene was leaving the only person she felt a true connection with. She was leaving the only person that she truly loved.

“I love you,” Irene whispered suddenly.

“What?” Wendy asked, wondering if she’d heard the girl correctly. Her ears must have been tricking her. There was no way that-

“I love you,” Irene repeated, a bit louder this time. She laughed, “I don’t know when I found out. Hell, I might’ve known the second I met you. There was just something about you that made me go crazy whenever I thought about you. My stomach did flips whenever you were around me, and I hate myself for not realizing and doing something about it earlier. I guess I should tell you now since I’m leaving anyway.”

It was that moment where Wendy kissed her. It was a small, soft kiss, where Wendy was gripping Irene’s arm and Irene was too shaken to grab on to anything. Wendy pulled away, slowly opening her eyes. “I’m an idiot.”

“How?” Irene asked, putting her hands on her shoulders.

“I should’ve told you, too,” Wendy said. “I realized right here. When you were showing me your sketchbook. I wasn’t looking at the sketches because I was completely mesmerized by you.”

Irene blinked. “What?”

Wendy smiled. “Dummy.”

She leaned in and closed the gap between their lips once more as she squeezed Irene tightly while Irene grasped onto Wendy’s neck. In no time Irene was being pushed against the tree. Wendy stopped their kiss again. “Don’t forget me,” she said, her voice shaking. “Call me when you can. Visit me whenever you can. Even if you’re busy up until you graduate, I’ll wait.”

“I’m never going to forget you,” Irene said. “How could I forget the girl that made me stay up all night, wondering if she was thinking about me, too?”

Wendy smiled sheepishly. “She was.” She kissed Irene one last time.

*** 

Seulgi, Joy, and Yeri were taking a stroll in the woods that was near their schoolyard. It was their lunch break and they wanted to go out somewhere together.

After a while of walking, the trio had come across a tree. It was a bigger tree than any of the others in the woods. It had its own little area in front which could be used for picnics and such.

Yeri sat down her lunchbox and began to eat. “This spot looks nice, doesn’t it?”

“Very,” Joy agreed, joining Yeri. “Let’s come here from now on.”

Seulgi slowly sat down, her eyes fixed on the tree. “What are you looking at?” Joy asked.

She pointed to something that was carved into the tree bark. “What is that?”

Yeri got up and squinted at the tree. “I don’t know. It looks like some sort of heart.”

Even though it was years later, the heart that Irene had carved into the bark had maintained in perfect condition, waiting for the two lovers to one day return to the tree together.

_I + W_

_Wendy Son, you have my heart._


End file.
